Cost of security beefed up by 36%

Interior Division gets Rs15.67b under PSDP

ISLAMABAD: In the budget 2017-18, the federal government has proposed setting aside Rs15.67 billion for the Interior Division under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) -- Rs4.12 billion higher than the allocation in the previous fiscal.

The funds were earmarked for 61 schemes – 23 new and 38 ongoing. Of the total, Rs4.991 billion is allocated for new schemes and Rs10.675 for ongoing ones.

Last year, Rs11.554 billion was allocated under the PSDP for the Interior Division.



Of the proposed allocation in the new budget, as much as Rs340 million are specified under ‘foreign assistance’.

For new schemes, Rs550 million is earmarked for Capacity Enhancement of Civil Armed Forces (CAF) Management of Western Borders by raising eight wings of the Frontier Corps Balochistan (North). And Rs150 million has been allocated for the Capacity Enhancement of CAF Management of Western border by raising two sector headquarters for the Frontier Corps Balochistan (South). Both projects are mentioned with an unapproved status.

Among other new schemes, Rs700 million has been earmarked for the construction of accommodation for four wings at Chamanjana, Sama Bazaar at Orakzai Agency and at Kurram Agency. An amount of Rs450 million has been set aside for construction of accommodation for four wings at Gorgana, Painda Cheena, Dogra and Shilman, Khyber Agency FC, K-P.



Under new schemes for the National Response Centre for Cyber Crimes (NR3C), Rs250 million has been kept in the PSDP.

At least Rs25 million has been allocated for promotion of solar water pumping system for irrigation in ICT under the head of new schemes in the PSDP.

In the ongoing schemes, Rs1.8 billion has been earmarked for provision of CPEC-related security projects; Rs1 billion for provision of security infrastructure in Malakand, Swat and other conflict-hit areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; Rs800 million for construction of a model prison at H-16 in Islamabad; Rs650 million for capacity enhancement of Frontier Corps Balochistan by raising eight new wings; Rs618.22 million for construction of accommodation for two Rifle Wings at Karachi; and Rs750 million for construction of accommodation of Abdullah Shah Ghazi Rangers, Karachi.



A sum of Rs300 million has been kept for establishment of a model police station in ICP/police reforms under the head of ongoing schemes and the project has the estimated cost of Rs996 million. Moreover, Rs440 million has been kept for Islamabad General Hospital at Tarlai, ICT Islamabad. The project has an estimated cost of Rs2.5 billion.

NACTA budget slashed:

The federal government has reduced the budget for the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) by Rs1.416 billion in the fiscal year 2017-18 in comparison with the previous year’s revised allocation.

The government allocated just Rs143 million in the new fiscal for NACTA which had a revised budgetary allocation of Rs1.559 billion in the previous fiscal.

Interestingly, NACTA had demanded Rs1.5 billion in its budgetary proposals.



The opposition and experts have been criticising the government for not making fully functional an authority like NACTA which is responsible for formulating policies and strategies to counter terrorism in the country.

NACTA was made functional again, at least on paper, after the Army Public School (APS) attack in 2014 in Peshawar.

An amount of Rs46 million has been earmarked for ‘allowances’ against the revised allocation of Rs289 million in the previous fiscal. Moreover, Rs40 million is allocated as ‘Operating Expenses’ against the revised allocation of Rs526 million the last fiscal.



A drastic cut has also been made for ‘Project Pre-Investment Analysis’ which has only got Rs2,000 against the previous revised allocation of Rs20 million under the same account.

Under the category of ‘Physical Assets’, only Rs3.5 million has been allocated against Rs330 million in the revised budget allocation for the previous year.

An amount of Rs1,000 has been set aside under the sub-category of ‘Physical Assets’ for purchase of ‘transport’ while the allocation in the previous year was Rs140 million.

A sum of Rs5.003 million has been allocated under ‘Occupancy Costs’ against a revised allocation of Rs288 million in the previous fiscal year.

Under ‘entertainment and gifts’, a total of Rs800,000 has been allocated against last year’s revised allocation of Rs2.5 million.